A new day for diesel?

Diesel power has long been a mainstay for commercial vehicles in this country, but unlike in Europe, smaller displacement diesels for cars and even light trucks are a rarity.

Now that’s starting to change and change rapidly – perhaps ushering in what Allen Schaeffer (at right), executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum and a longtime trucking industry observer, is calling a “new period of expansion” for diesel-fired light duty trucks and cars in North America.

"This has already been an amazing year for the growth of clean diesel vehicles in the U.S.; it just keeps getting more remarkable and this is just the middle of February,” he said.

[Below you can see how much diesel power has changed over the last decade in a special event held last year under the auspices of the California Air Resources Board.]

Schaeffer pointed a wide range of recent announcements that seem to indicate that diesel is gaining new legs on the lighter side of the vehicle spectrum:

Audi plans to offer four new clean diesels for the U.S. this year along with Volkswagen demonstrating its diesel/plug-in hybrid CrossBlue S.U.V. concept car.

Mazda plans to offer SKYACTIV-D diesel technology in its 2014 Mazda 6 in the U.S. this year; the first foreign automaker to roll out a diesel-powered vehicle in this country

Mercedes-Benz’s is updating its new 2013 ML250 BlueTEC SUV diesel with a 4MATIC all-wheel drive. Ford Motor Co. plans to debut the 2014 Transit van with diesel power later this year

General Motors just introduced the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show; GM’s first diesel-powered passenger car in 26 years

Chrysler plans to offer its 2014 Ram 1500 light truck with a V6 EcoDiesel, along with similar diesel options for its 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and full-size ProMaster van

Altogether, Schaeffer said automakers are set to introduce more than 20 new diesel-fired vehicles in North America this year – a pretty startling number, when you think about it – a reflection that total global sales of diesel-powered auto sales increased by 24% in 2012 over 2011, while diesel-powered vehicle sales in the overall U.S. auto market jumped 13.5% year-over-year.

He added that Bosch, a global diesel engine technology supplier, predicts that 22 new clean diesel vehicles will be introduced in the U.S. this year and more than 50 new diesels will reach the U.S. market by 2017.

"In Europe, more than 50% of new auto sales are diesel vehicles," Schaeffer pointed out. "Many auto analysts predict that U.S. diesel sales will increase from a modest three percent to as much as 10% by 2020."

I talked to James Bell, GM’s head of consumer affairs, about this trend and how it shaped the automaker’s decision to develop the 2014 diesel-fired Chevrolet Cruze car.

“The reality is that when the U.S. switched to ultra low sulfur diesel [ULSD] fuel five or six years ago, that provided the opportunity we needed for diesel-powered cars,” he told me. “We’ve had the [diesel car] technology for a long time in Europe but not the right fuel type to bring it to the U.S. Now we do.”

The key now is that diesel is being placed into what Bell calls “an affordable car” so it becomes an attractive option for the mainstream motorist, not just luxury buyers or work truck fleets.

“The interesting piece now is that diesel gets added to a whole range of propulsion options: electric cars, hybrids, natural gas vehicles, and of course gasoline,” he explained. “Now you have vehicles that match up better with the driving habits of the buyer.”

In diesel’s case, those driving a lot of highway miles will see better fuel economy and longer engine life. “It allows the vehicle buyer to stand back and say, what do I REALLY need in terms of vehicle performance?” Bell said. “That is what’s really critical about adding the diesel power to the mix.”

Discuss this Blog Entry 2

Remembering back, when Jimma Carter (the 2nd worst president ever), oversaw the price of fuel go from .30¢ to about .70¢ everybody scrambled to get a diesel, any diesel in the cars & on the road. Diesel was cheaper than gasoline back then. Now that diesel is about a buck a gallon higher than gas....they're again scrambling to get 'em on the road?...Really? Something wrong with this picture.

Diesel vehicles are commercially more successful in almost every automobile developed countries. People normally like to prefer these diesel vehicles for their personal use. Diesel power is really ruling the automotive industry. But these days, due to hike in the price of diesel, the automotive industry now looking forward to the electric vehicles and people also looking forward to it. Saab Repair Los Angeles